This Tuesday, the Pritzker Architecture Prize was awarded to its 46th laureate: Arata Isozaki of Japan, the country’s eighth architect to receive the profession’s highest honour.
Arato Isozaki. (Photo courtesy of Pritzker Architecture Prize)
Known as the Nobel of architecture, the Pritzker is given annually to a living architect in honour of their contribution to the field.
Isozaki, who graduated from the University of Tokyo with a degree in architecture, first apprenticed under Kenzo Tange – who is also Japan’s first Pritzker Prize recipient (1987). In 1963, Isozaki established Arata Isozaki & Associates.
Past recipients of the award include I.M. Pei, Rem Koolhaas, Norman Foster, Frank Gehry, and the late Zaha Hadid. Japan, now tying in with the US for the number of Pritzker honours received, have in the past counted Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito and Shigeru Ban, among others, as recipients.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA), photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto/Pritzker Architecture Prize
Though not as well known outside of architecture, Isozaki’s works span the globe and his influence ripples beyond the profession itself. As an urban planner, theorist, and also a visual artist, author and professor, Isozaki has designed more than 100 buildings – museums, stadiums, corporate buildings, cultural centres, libraries – and is known for actively supporting the work of younger architects.
Art Tower Mito, photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto/Pritzker Architecture Prize
Here, we gather some nuggets of wisdom from the 87-year-old architect and this year’s Pritzker Prize laureate.
Born 1931 in Ōita, Kyushu, Isozaki was in his formative years when the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He "builds with the theory that while buildings are transitory, they should please the senses of the users presently passing through and around them," read his profile.
Of this, Isozaki says: "When I was old enough to begin an understanding of the world, my hometown was burned down. Across the shore, the Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, so I grew up near ground zero. It was in complete ruins, and there was no architecture, no buildings and not even a city. Only barracks and shelters surrounded me. So, my first experience of architecture was the void of architecture, and I began to consider how people might rebuild their homes and cities."
Space and time is a major motif in Isozaki's work. In his own words: "Extravagance, for me, is complete silence. Nothingness – that is extravagant."
Image: Palau Sant Jordi, photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki/Pritzker Architecture Prize
Isozaki's creations have been identified as brutalist, post-modern, a hybrid of east and west – and almost always with a sense of humour and whimsy. His design for the Fujimi Country Club in Ōita, for instance, forms a question mark complete with the dot, supposedly signifying his confusion over his country's obsession with golf. Says Isozaki: "The client didn't say a word."
Image: Ark Nova at Lucerne Festival, an inflatable stadium designed with Anish Kapoor that travelled to regions affected by the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Photo courtesy of Iwan Baan/Pritzker Architecture Prize
"My pleasure is to create different things," says Isozaki, whose body of work over the course of six decades encompass philosophy, visual art, design, music, films, and plays. Reflected not only in his iconic buildings, Isozaki's creativity has a wide-spanning impact.
"Over the more than 50 years Arata Isozaki has been practicing, he has had an impact on world architecture, through his works, writings, exhibitions, the organization of important conferences and participation on competition juries," reads the citation by the Pritzker jury – which this year includes, among others, US Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and Pritzker laureates Richard Rogers (2007) and Kazuyo Sejima (who in 2010 received the award with Ryue Nishizawa, with whom she co-founded Tokyo-based SANAA).
Image: The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles; photo courtesy of Yasuhiro Ishimoto/Pritzker Architecture Prize
If there is one thing Isozaki does not do, it is to replicate. The versatile designer is known for his diverse creations – take a look at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, for instance, and the Palau Sant Jordi Stadium for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona; the Qatar Convention Center, or the Allianz Tower in Milan – each of them conceptualised and executed to suit their purpose and site. "Purity and clarity" are terms often used to describe his works. "What is patently clear is that he has not been following trends but forging his own path," cites the Pritzker Jury. "Clearly, he is one of the most influential figures in contemporary world architecture on a constant search, not afraid to change and try new ideas."
Says Isozaki: "In order to find the most appropriate way to solve these problems, I could not dwell upon a single style. Change became constant. Paradoxically, this came to be my own style."
Image: Qatar National Convention Center, photo courtesy of Hisao Suzuki/Pritzker Architecture Prize
Isozaki will be honoured at the Château de Versailles in France this May, with a bronze medal and a grant of $100,000.
Browse our Design section for more news, inspiration, and expert advice.
The post Arata Isozaki: 4 Things We Can Learn From This Year’s Pritzker Prize Laureate appeared first on Home Journal.
